Queen of the Fleas
by reginassthief
Summary: AU. After her father's death, Regina is sent to live with Leopold Blanchard. OQ.


**I found this in my files and it was uncompleted so I posted what I'd wrote on Tumblr and then it wouldn't stop bugging me so I wrote the rest. Because of how much I'm already writing, I don't think I'll update this any time soon. Maybe when other things aren't working, you'll see the occasional post but they'll be no schedule for it (like any of my fics have a schedule) but feel free to stick around for this if you like it and depending on the reviews I get, I might continue it fully.**

Dawn is just breaking when she cracks open the door to her father's room. The smells hit her instantly. The usual; piss, shit, and vomit.

Regina hates it.

Hates that this is what her father- a prince, fifth son to the King- has been brought down to.

But they all knew this would happen eventually.

So despite the offending smell, she pushes the door open, picking up the bucket of water, careful not to spill it (Mother will kill her if she spills anything) and enters the room.

She tries not to focus on her father, as horrible as that may sound. She focuses on what she has to do; open the curtains and window, change the three buckets. It's so later, when she's trying to coax him awake, does she place all her attention on him, she just tries not to think about how thinner he looks, the skin hanging off his bones, his hollowed out eyes and how weary he's became, never focusing, never _seeing._ Regina wonders if he even knows she's there sometimes, or is she just a presence and a voice he remembers but can't quite place. She steers her thoughts away from that, doesn't want to think that he might not remember her, might not know her. She's is daughter, the one thing that he's supposed to love more than anything, he can't leave not knowing who is she.

Yet today, she notices there's something different. This time, she doesn't open the curtains or window immediately. Despite the stench, she doesn't move the bowls to outside the room. Instead, she places the bucket on the side, treads slowly over to the bed, her body numb, mind blank, as she reaches out to touch her father's arm.

It's cold. He might've been ill but blood still flowed through his body. Blood still warmed up his skin. Now he was cold. No more blood pumped through him. No more life was in him.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

"I'm sorry about your father, Gina."

Regina had been trying to ignore the pain since she found him. Occupying herself and keeping herself constantly busy. It was better that way. If she was found crying, mother would beat her and tell her to grow up, that only babies cry.

She keeps her eyes firmly on the wood panel in front, balancing alongside the train track. Perhaps it's dangerous walking along the track but it's quicker and more direct and there's plenty of grass around them to dive into least a train drives through- which is rare.

"Here, hold this," she says, handing the basket of berries over to Mal. The girl takes it, holding it along with her own as she takes her head at Regina's antics.

It's something Regina's wanted to get right since, well, forever. A lip between her teeth, she bends, placing too hands on the wood and flipping herself over. A cartwheel- one that she lands almost perfectly, a light bobble. She'll do it perfectly, one day.

"You're trying to ignore it, aren't you?" Mal asks, handing the basket back over to Regina. Mal walks on the track, mindful of the stones and the raise in the panels running across.

Regina sighs, choosing not to answer. She didn't want to think about it, it was too painful, but at the same time, perhaps it was a mercy. Father had nothing left in him, he just lay in bed all day, what sort of a life was that?

"It does get easier, you know." Mal says as Regina jumps off the panel to walk on the grass. "The pain doesn't completely go, but it does become easier."

Regina just hums, wanting a change the subject. Apart from trying to forget that her father died barely three hours ago, she was also angry about it. Angry that he'd been unable to get the treatment he needed. That had they lived in the city, been richer, they'd have gotten that. It's just not fair.

"Regina, watch out!"

Mal's warning comes too late. It's a one man ambush. A figure shoving her before she has time to react. The basket being taken out of her hands and the figure laughing. The stones gaze her hands yet the realisation that someone has her berries- her _money_ \- overrides that and Regina's up in a second, racing after the person (a boy, it turns out to be. Always a boy) shouting, "Give it back!" as she chases him.

He's too fat to run every far and the girl is skinny, years of running strengthening her as she catches up to the boy, a sudden anger at him, a stranger she doesn't know but hates all the same, the grief pouring out of her as she hits him, punches him, kicks him...

Her strikes are pointless, though. He only laughs some more, pushing her off him as Regina stumbles but still keeps her balance on the ground. Then suddenly there's something falling onto her. Something wet and brown and stinky as she looks down at the tattered dress, the contents of whatever was thrown on her stinging her eyes as her hair falls in her face.

The basket hits her, smacking her in the face and all she can see is red as she bats the basket away, ignores Mal's cry of _Regina!_ as she runs after the boy once more, a surprise strength appearing in her meek arms as she pushes the boy over, pounding everywhere she can reach, never stopping, everything pouring out at once.

"Regina!"

Mal's been shouting her name over and over, Regina's been hearing it but not paying attention to it. She's too consumed with hatred for this boy.

"Regina, stop it!" Mal grasps her from under her arms, pulling Regina away from the boy as Regina kicks and slaps air, tries to claw her way through nothing back to the boy.

The boy stands, his face and neck covered in forming bruises and scratch marks, his arms too. He looks down at them in disgust, as he looks up and screams, "Flee Queen!" before scampering off back where he came from.

Mal sits Regina on the ground as Regina tries to calm herself down, tries to slow her breathing down. She's never flipped on anyone like that before. Never had an overwhelming aggression towards anyone before.

She takes in the state of her dress, the yellowish-brown and the smell radiating off her. Shit, Regina thinks. She doesn't know who's or what's, but knows that smell from anywhere. Great.

"We should find you a lake or something," Mal says. "You absolutely stink."

Regina nods, her breathing somewhat evened out as she pulls herself up, taking a look at the floor and seeing all the lost berries. She sends another curse to the boy, hoping karma comes to pay him a visit before she and Mal begin picking up the berries.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Regina shivers, wrapping the woollen coat around her body. The rain pounds against her window, the occasional flash of lightening or roar of thunder. It had started raining on the way back home, coins filling their pockets- not a lot but enough to make do for one more day. By the time they'd reached the area were the boy had attacked Regina, it was pelting, heavy and hard on the two girls. Regina had reached home, freezing and soaked to the bones, teeth chattering as Mother dragged her inside, scolded her for her appearance (as if it was Regina's fault) before throwing her into the tub.

Now she lights the candle on her table, a book of fairy tales in her lap as she shifts herself more on the bed.

The book had been her solace through everything. An sixth year birthday present from Father. Upon a visit to town, a man had given Father the book, telling him that his own daughter no longer had use for it and when Regina's sixth birthday rolled along, Father had called her downstairs and together they sat in the chair, reading the stories. Mother had scoffed, telling Father that she was old enough to read on her own now but Father never listened to her and in the end, she gave up telling him to stop.

It had been a while since she'd picked up the book herself. Father had fallen ill a few months after Regina's seventh birthday. Bed ridden, they could no longer read the book together and it had lay, almost forgotten, on Regina's bookshelf. Until now.

Now, needing that comfort and solace and escape, she opens the book to the first story and loses herself in princesses named after snow and manipulative evil queens.

.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.

Become the thing you want to become.

Cora had done that and where had it gotten her? A weak ill husband and an inept child.

She was made for more than this. More than meek men and silly little girls. She was supposed to become a mistress of a household, bear sons and watch them become powerful men. Not live in shacks in the middle of nowhere with a rundown farm that had nothing going for it anymore.

It's why she had agreed to this deal. Her daughter was worth a lot, it seems. Enough money for Cora and begin a new life away from Salem. Her useless husband was gone and her daughter...Cora was better off without her dragging her down.

"I promise you she'll be in perfectly safe hands." Mr Blanchard tells her.

The deal had been made whilst Regina was away making a little money as she could. A notice Cora had came across a few days ago asking for a young girl or boy who was a hard worker and could listen to orders. Perhaps Regina didn't fit that last part but after today she could no longer be a problem to Cora. So the woman had sent a letter to the name addressed on the notice: Leopold Blanchard.

"When would you like her?" Cora asks, praying he says now.

And he does.

She tries to keep her expression neutral yet on the inside, she was practically jumping up and down. She could finally make a life for herself, get out of here and-

"I don't want to go."

Cora seethes. That excitement dying just a little bit. Always saying no to everything, Regina is.

"I want to stay here," the girl says when Cora turns, meeting her daughter's eyes. "Please."

She's standing on the stairs, eyes pleading to let her stay yet Cora has no use for her. The girl is unnecessary luggage now and she has half a mind to just drag Regina off those stairs and throw her in the carriage as of now.

"You don't want to move away from here?" Leopold asks, moving from his seat at the table and coming to stand at the bottom of the stairs. "You'll be able to live in a manor, be treated as a queen."

But the girl shakes her head. "Please don't make me go," she pleads, looking back at Cora. "Please. I want to stay here."

Her patience was running thin. Just take the girl and go, she wanted to scream. But instead chooses the calmer option.

"Regina is just delusional from grief. Her father died yesterday morning, Regina found him. She does want to go."

Regina tries to protest but Leopold cuts her off and good, the girl is going whether to wants to or not.

"I'm sorry to hear," Leopold turns back to Regina. "I promise you I'll look after you. You don't want to stay here with all this pain, do you?"

Regina's eyes flick from Cora to Leopold, and to the men who wait outside. She may be stupid at times, but there is a brain in there and Regina knows when the battle is lost. She hangs her head, sulking, the sight is absolutely ridiculous and asks, "When do I have to go?"

"I was planning on leaving now." Leopold says and Regina sighs.

"Pack your things." Cora tells her, the last and final word as Regina gives one more pitiful plea with her eyes before turning away and making her way upstairs.

Cora was finally free. Free of them all. And she couldn't be happier.


End file.
